The N18 is a
national route in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
which runs from
Warrenton through
Vryburg
Vryburg () is a large agricultural town with a population of 48,400 situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. It is the seat and the industrial ...
and
Mahikeng
Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West Province (South Africa), North West province of South Africa.
Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast of Cape ...
to
Ramatlabama
Ramatlabama (or Ramatlhabama) is a village and railway station north of Mafikeng, in the North West province of South Africa. It is located on the border with Botswana, and serves as a border post for road and rail traffic. At the time of the ...
on the border with
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
.
The N18 National Route of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
is part of
Trans-African Highway Network
The Trans-African Highway network comprises transcontinental road projects in Africa being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union in conjunction with re ...
no. 4 (
Cairo-Cape Town Highway), which connects
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
with
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
Route
Northern Cape
The N18 begins as a t-junction with the
N12 in
Warrenton. The road heads west as the town's main road, leaving it to the north-west and crossing the
Vaal River
The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...
before turning northwards. Passing the
Ganspan
Ganspan is a town in Frances Baard District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to t ...
Airport to the west, the N18 enters
Jan Kempdorp
Jan Kempdorp is an agricultural town situated in the centre of the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated north of Kimberley, the provincial capital, and west of Christiana in North West prov ...
from the south and meets the
R370 and the
R708. Leaving the town, it continues northwards, passing
Hartswater. Shortly afterwards it crosses into
North West Province
North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng and south of Botswana.
History
North West was incorporated after the end of Apartheid in 1994, an ...
.
North West
It reaches
Taung
Taung is a small town situated in the North West Province of South Africa. The name means ''place of the lion'' and was named after Tau, the King of the Barolong. ''Tau'' is the Tswana word for lion.
Education
High,Secondary and Middle Schools ...
, where it crosses the
Harts River
The Harts River ( af, Hartsrivier) is a northern tributary of the Vaal River, which in turn is the largest tributary of the Orange River (also known as the Gariep River, the largest river in South Africa). Its source is in the North West Province, ...
before the
R372 intersects from the west. It continues northwards, passing
Pudimoe
Pudimoe or Pudumong is a town in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality in the North West province of South Africa.
The town is located about north of Taung and south-west of Schweizer-Reneke. The name, derived from the Tswana languag ...
and after some distance, it enters
Vryburg
Vryburg () is a large agricultural town with a population of 48,400 situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. It is the seat and the industrial ...
from the south as Moffat Street. Inside the town, it continues north, crossing the east-west
N14 Market Street before leaving the town. Continuing north-east for 159 km, through
Stella (where it meets the
R377 at a
staggered junction
An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections a ...
) and
Setlagole
Setlagole ''(Se tla a gola)'' is a historical Setswana village next to the N18 in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in the North West province of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the s ...
, it enters
Mafikeng
Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa.
Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast of Cape Town and west of Johannesburg. In ...
from the south-west as the Vryburg Road. Crossing the railway into the town, it becomes two one-way streets (Main Street eastwards and Shippard Street westwards) before reaching a junction in the centre of the town, where it meets the
R503 and the
R49. Turning north-west as Nelson Mandela Drive, it heads through the northern suburbs of Mafikeng and heads northwards for 24 km to the
Ramatlabama
Ramatlabama (or Ramatlhabama) is a village and railway station north of Mafikeng, in the North West province of South Africa. It is located on the border with Botswana, and serves as a border post for road and rail traffic. At the time of the ...
Border post with Botswana. On the
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
side, it becomes the
A1 highway to
Lobatse
Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is an ...
and
Gaborone
Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Gaboron ...
.
References
External links
National Roads Agency SA
National Roads in South Africa
Roads in South Africa
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